Dancing Queens! Cunard's Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth cruise ships join the Queen Mary 2 in Liverpool for a synchronised 'river dance' celebrating the company's 175th anniversary
- The world's grandest ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, has docked in Liverpool for the Bank Holiday celebrations
- The Three Queens, which include the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth vessels, are together for the first time
- Thousands gathered to watch ships perform a synchronised 'river dance' before Red Arrows flew overhead
The world's largest and grandest ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, was joined for the first time ever on the River Mersey by fellow fleet members the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth for an unprecedented 'dance' in celebration of Cunard's 175th anniversary.
Although the festivities have been going on for the past three days, the main event took place in Liverpool on Monday with a precision manouevre by the three vessels in front of thousands of spectators.
After their rotation the ships formed a spectacular arrowhead formation, then posed for the cameras before arranging themselves three abreast for the first time in any body of water.
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The vessels, named the Three Queens, perform their impressive turn in front of thousands of spectators to mark Cunard's 175th anniversary
Led by several smaller boats, the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth sailed past Liverpool in arrow-like formation
A close up on the boats' synchronized manouevres illustrates just how massive the majestic ocean liners truly are
The 'dance' was to culminate with a flyover salute by nine jets from the famous Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's Aerobatic Team.
The Queen Mary 2 treated onlookers to a magnificent sail-past of the city's historic waterfront earlier this weekend, before tying up at the berth for a little over 24 hours.
During her overnight stay, the 2,600 passengers on board were able to visit Liverpool's sights and experience the energy of the city as the buzz was building ahead of the May 25 event.
And to mark such a significant occasion - the first time that all three Queens have taken to the water together - the Red Arrows are also on hand to complete a series of impressive manoeuvres in their honour.
The world famous acrobatic team followed the Mersey, flying in formation over the three ships in what was one of the most extraordinary spectacles that the city has ever seen.
Cunard Director, Angus Struthers, said: 'The arrival of the Queen May 2 this morning, the largest passenger ship ever to sail up the Mersey, signalled the beginning of Cunard's Salute to Liverpool celebrations in the place where the Cunard story began 175 years ago.'
The entire event has been trending on Twitter and Facebook, with plenty of enthusiasts following along thanks to livestreams and a constant update of photos and the #Cunard175 hashtag.
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The Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth are pictured lined up abreast as the ships sail along River Mersey in north west England
Spectators lined the beaches for a glimpse of the gigantic ships during the Three Queens celebration in Liverpool
This head-on perspective shows the passengers on board, who were also enjoying the spectacle unfold before them
Monday, May 25 marks the first time that Cunard's three ship fleet gathered together in such a spectacular fashion
The three ships were led by several smaller boats, including some performing water displays to mark the occasion
The Queen Elizabeth (front) and the Queen Victoria (background) sit in the Mersey during a fireworks display at the Three Queens event
The spectacular display was one of several events taking place over this Bank Holiday weekend to mark the festival in Liverpool
Despite a gloomy start to the day, enthusiasts came out in droves to witness the Three Queens event
The Red Arrows performed their impressive sky-high salute in honour of the company and its stunning vessels
This event featured the largest passenger ships ever to muster together on the River Mersey in this way
The Queen Mary 2, the Queen Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth met in the Mersey at Liverpool in front of the Three Graces
The 'dance' culminated with a flyover salute by nine jets from the famous Royal Air Force's Red Arrows aerobatic team
The Three Queens spectacle celebrates the famous shipping line's formation in its original home port
Spectators flocked to the riverbanks to photograph the breathtaking moment that the Red Arrows took to the sky above the boats
As the planes blasted through the sky, they left a stream of red, white and blue smoke in their wake
The sun had come out just minutes before the Red Arrows took to the skies to celebrate the Three Queens below
Visitoris gathered on the shore in Liverpool to take photographs of the Queen Mary 2, the biggest and grandest cruise liner ever built
The three famous ocean liners are on hand to honour the parent company, Cunard, which revolutionised transatlantic travel in the 19th century
The ceremony is particularly exciting as it is one of the largest international events for Liverpool so far this year
The three ships sailed in formation ahead of a salute from the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team, the Red Arrows
Crowd control! Those who had lined up for a better view were kept back in an orderly fashion thanks to several security guards
'The ship manoeuvres will culminate with a fly-past by the Red Arrows... nine jets int he sky, Three Queens on the river and One Magnificent City - what an extraordinary sight that will be.
'Our flagship is here, her sister ships are on their way - we look forward to everyone enjoying the most amazing spectacle on the Mersey on Monday,' he had also said earlier this weekend.
For the first time, all of Cunard's Three Queens take to the Mersey to perform a synchronised 'river dance' in front of onlookers
As the three Queens converged on the river, those watching eagerly posted photographs and livestream video on social media
Thousands of spectators watch as the boats set off to perform several spectacular turns on the river - the largest fleet of ships to do so
A water salute leads the three ships along the River Mersey off Liverpool, where the Cunard Britannia set sail 175 years ago
In July 1840, the Britannia left for America from the city, which was also the then-hub of the Cunard company
On lookers line up on the Liverpool waterfront, as well as along the beach, for a glimpse of the massive ocean liners
The Queen Mary 2, along with the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth ships, are in Liverpool to celebrate Cunard's 175th anniversary
Crowds lined the Liverpool waterfront to get a glimpse of the world's biggest ocean liners as they pulled maneouvres to mark the occasion
Also on hand to celebrate, the aerobatic flying team, the Red Arrows, will perform a display high above the water
The festivities began with a water salute as the ships set sail to meet up with each other for the first time
The Queen Mary 2 treated onlookers to a magnificent sail-past of the city's historic waterfront earlier this weekend, before tying up at the berth for a little over 24 hours
On Twitter, Cunard Line welcomed the three Queens as they arrived at their 'spiritual home' of Liverpool
Cunard Line, who has been live tweeting the entire event, also posted this photo of the crowds at the city's Echo Arena
Today marks the first time that the three Queens have made their way down the Mersey River together
The Cunard ships were the star attraction this Bank Holiday weekend, with a firework display and other events taking place
The Queen Mary 2 is Cunard's 150,000 tonne flagship vessel and so many turned out to see it that the event was actually a bit delayed
The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Andersen, says that this event has been a year in the planning and buzz has been building for months
The celebration marks the anniversary of Cunard's first ship, the Britannia, leaving British shores for America in 1840
The Queen Mary 2 first gave intrepid fans a peek as she made the trip to the River Mersey and docked around 6am on Sunday
The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, was equally as excited: 'Liverpool is a city well-versed in staging huge events with an international focus and this bank holiday weekend is no exception.
'The arrival of the Three Cunard Queens has been nearly a year in the planning, and for months there has been a real buzz around the city about this making of maritime history.
'I have no doubt Liverpool will shine under the international spotlight and this will be an unforgettable moment in the city's history for all the right reasons.'
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